Day 43: Happy Camp to Illinois river

September 27, 2011

Map of the route from Happy Camp to Grants Pass, days 43 and 44.

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48F in the morning with a bit of fog near the river, but otherwise clear skies.

Morning fog over the Klamath river at Happy Camp.

I got on the road at 8:30, but then stopped after only a mile to have breakfast #2 at the cafe in Happy Camp. I wasn't very hungry after just eating cereal in camp, but it's my only chance before the big climb.

In Happy Camp I turned north onto the "State of Jefferson Scenic Byway". The first 10 miles is in a residential valley where nearly every house displays a "No Monument" sign, expressing their disapproval of a proposed National Monument for the western Siskiyou mountains. There's already a new National Monument in the eastern Siskiyou range, east of I-5. Residents say the monument would take away their property rights. I don't know how unless the houses are on leased land. One objection was that they wouldn't be allowed to placer mine for gold in a National Monument.

Nearly every house in the Happy Camp area had a "No Monument" sign.

Eventually the road enters the National Forest and starts climbing the mountain with a vengeance. I started at 1080 feet elevation, and the summit is 4679 feet elevation.

Most of the time the forest obstructs any possible mountain views. I took a long stop at an overlook that did have a good view to the south and east.

I was passed by several loaded log trucks while climbing. That's odd. Usually the loaded log trucks go down the mountain and only empty trucks go up. Apparently the logs were being hauled over the mountain to Oregon.

Near the Summit of the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway.

The unmarked summit was unremarkable, just a hilltop in the forest with no view. I arrived at 3:30 PM and the temperature was a pleasant 65F. About a mile later I crossed the state line into Oregon. There was only a tiny sign but the pavement was painted.

The long descent to the Illinois valley was cold and boring. And the entire descent was on brand-new chipseal that was kind of slippery. Always in the shade under the tree canopy on a steep north-facing slope. Very few views of the Illinois valley below.

The only good view of the Illinois valley was in a clearcut for power lines.

I came in to Cave Junction on back roads east of the Illinois river. The weather was warm and sunny once I got into the open valley.

In Cave Junction I rejoin US 199 and backtrack northeast to Grants Pass. But I don't need to be in Grants Pass until noon tomorrow. 5 miles north of Cave Junction I turned west onto Eight Dollar mountain road.

Eight Dollar mountain is composed of some of the oldest rocks in Oregon. It's the southeast flank of the Klamath mountains.

3 miles down that road I set up camp at a free campsite along the Illinois river. It was very quiet. No cars passed by.

Free campsite along the Illinois river near Eight Dollar mountain.

This is the last night of the Cascadia bike tour. In Cave Junction I bought a small "2-person" cake to celebrate. Of course it's only a 1-person cake to a touring cyclist. I edited the photo to show what I imagined was on the cake.

Celebrating the successful conclusion of my 30th bicycle tour at age 50.

The last 4 days from Arcata to Cave Junction are routes that I have never seen before by bike or by car. Touring is more fun when the route is completely "new" to me.

Today was a beautiful day. Sunny, with a high of about 80F. It was probably warmer in Cave Junction, but I didn't arrive there until 4:45 PM.

Distance: 53.6 mi. (86 km)
Climbing: 4492 ft. (1361 m)
Average Speed: 8.5 mph (13.6 km/h)

Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 2,128 miles (3,425 km)

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